12 Acts of Kindness
by Balin Lord of Moria
Summary: Twelve random acts of kindness from the police officers of Lytton, Steelton and Jackson Beach, including Sonny Bonds and Jake Ryan. Even small, kind deeds make the police special people. Drabble series.
1. Return a Doll

Sergeant John Dooley drove down the street during his early shift. Suddenly, he found a girl's "My Little Pony" doll on the street in front of him. Hoping to find its owner, he picked up the doll and drove on.

About one minute later, two hundred feet away from where the doll was dropped, Dooley encountered a girl in her early teens walking beside the road. He stopped the car beside her and asked, "Excuse me, miss, is this your doll?"

The girl looked at the doll and exclaimed, "Yes! It is! Thank you for finding it for me, officer!" She took the doll back.

"No problem," said Dooley, "Just be careful not to lose it again."

"Of course, officer," she said. "Again, thank you!"


	2. Tie His Shoelaces

Officer Sonny Bonds was on foot patrol when he discovered an elderly man walking down the street in ill-fitting shoes. The laces were a little loose, and it looked like he could trip over them at any moment. Then old man came to the curb and was about to cross the street when one loose lace almost tripped him.

Fortunately, Sonny was standing almost right next to him by this time, and he reached out and saved the man from hurting himself on the pavement.

"Sir, let me help you with your shoelaces," said Sonny, tying the laces for him. "It isn't good for anyone to walk around with untied laces, is it?"

"No, I guess not, officer," said the grateful man. "Thanks a lot. Now I don't have to bend over and tie them myself with my bad back. It's a good thing you came along when you did, or I would've been flat as a pancake on the road."

"You're welcome, sir," said Sonny. "It's what cops do, help people in need."


	3. Sleight Happiness

Sarah Zuckerman was a cop first and foremost, but on the side, she was something of a sleight-of-hand magician. Her illusionist talents made her popular within the police department, and she was known to entertain people in shelters who had lost their homes, as well as kids who just wanted a good laugh, just because.

As she pulled a rabbit out of a hat, the children would squeal with delight. Then she would play card tricks with the kids, and amaze them with some tricks involving fire.

On the surface, this didn't seem like much, but she was making people happy, within and without the police force, including some who were victims of injustice. And how could bringing joy _not_ be kind to the good people the police protected?


	4. Play With Me

James Simpson, while off-duty, went for a ride in suburban Lytton to see the houses and other sights. As he drove, he found a young boy playing basketball by himself. The boy was quite good at it, dunking many balls through the hoop, but he seemed to have less enthusiasm for playing alone, and it showed when he noticed James looking at him.

James got out of his car, introduced himself as a cop, and offered to play ball with him for awhile. The boy, whose name was Jeffrey, gladly accepted. Jeffrey and James challenged each other to a mini-tournament, and while Jeffrey came out the winner, James showed him some really cool and clever moves.

At the end of the game, Jeffrey thanked Officer Simpson for his time. "If you hadn't come along," he said, "I'm not sure if anyone would've wanted to play with me, and I'd have to play all by myself."

"Well, I couldn't let something like that happen, now could I?" James replied. "Goodbye, Jeffrey."

"Bye-bye," said Jeffrey.


	5. A K-9 Lifter

Officer Lloyd Pratt was on patrol one day when a teenage girl cried out to him on the street. She told him that her Rottweiler was injured by a car, and that she needed help carrying him to a vet for treatment.

Lloyd gladly obliged the girl, and lifted up the hurt dog, carrying him ten miles without stopping to rest, until they reached the nearest vet's office. There the veterinarian treated the Rottweiler and patched her up, doing a very good job of healing her injuries. In the end, she was given a clean bill of health, and was returned to her owner safe and sound. She only had a slight limp left, and that would be temporary.

The teenage girl was grateful to the vet, but she did not forget to show gratitude to the cop who made it possible for her dog to survive.


	6. Cotton Kitten

Officer Moore never thought he'd be doing this as a police officer. He was an elite cop diver, trained to find evidence of crimes underwater. And now, he was in the river of Cotton Cove again, searching for a lost kitten belonging to the litter of a mother cat passing through the park.

We all know that all kittens are cute, but this little baby wasn't just an object of "cute." It was a living thing with the potential to become another fine pet cat in somebody's household, and the child of a doting mother. Moore couldn't just let something so small, so innocent, and so alive to drown or be lost in the water.

And so he did his act of kindness, finding and retrieving the lost kitten and returning it to its mother. Lloyd received applause for this. But he did it for the preservation and love of life, not for the glory and praise, and politely ignored the questions of the press.


	7. Wet Mother

Laura Watts drove down the highway of Lytton. It was a quiet day for her. Only a few traffic violators were troubling the streets. Things were getting a little boring for Laura.

A rain shower started to fall from the sky. She turned on her windshield wipers and continued to drive. At an intersection, she saw a young mother walking her baby daughter through the rain. Laura watched them, and felt pity for them as they got more and more wet. She couldn't watch any more. She got out of her patrol car and went over to the woman.

"Ma'am," said Laura, "let me drive you through this rain to wherever you're going."

"Oh, thank you, officer!" said the mother, "I'm so glad! I don't want my baby to get pneumonia or anything else out here!"

Laura drove the mother and her daughter home, and resumed her beat with a feeling of a job well done.


	8. Police Milkman

It was a difficult time in Lytton that day. Much of the city was closed off due to a lockdown after some terrorist bombings. Some of the people living in the suburbs were running low on supplies.

Into this situation stepped Captain Fletcher Hall. It bothered him to see that nobody was doing anything to help the fair people, and he wanted to help out while he could. So he went out and bought lots of bottles and cartons of milk, and delivered them to a family that was very low on milk and other beverages, and couldn't risk or afford to get their own.

The family was profoundly grateful to him, and offered to repay him whenever they could, but he said that he wasn't in it for the reward. He just wanted to help people in need. That was good enough for him.


	9. Honorary Cop

A young, disabled boy at Jackson Beach named Mario desired to be a police officer, and he couldn't wait till he grew up to become one. Sergeant Sutter took a liking to the boy and said to him, "Tell you what. During this year's law enforcement parade at Christmastime, you can ride in the front of the line as an honorary police officer. I know a boy named Jake Ryan who really wanted to be a cop, and now he is one. I'm sure he can lend you some moral support, too."

To Mario's delight, this promise was later fulfilled, and he was seen as an honorary officer during the Holiday season. A picture of him was taken with Sgt. Sutter and Jake Ryan, as well, and Jake held an old picture of his late father, the police officer who was Jake's inspiration to become a cop.


	10. New Bike

A crying, little girl was complaining that somebody had stolen her bike. Officer Doug Harrison was one the case. His main duty was to find the thief and apprehend him/her, which he eventually did, with some help from the plainclothes detectives, but the stolen bike was evidently lost, without a trace.

The girl was even more hysterical, so Doug decided to do something nice. He went to a bike store and got her a new bike. She was so grateful to him, and so delighted to see that it was ten-speed and painted pink, that she thanked him again and again. He accepted her thanks, but humbly stated that he was just doing what he believed was the right thing.


	11. Water a Cow

An anonymous patrol cop on Jackson Beach was on the beat one day, when suddenly, he found a cow lying near the street, and it looked a little sick. He pulled over and took a look at it. The cow was apparently very thirsty, and a bit dehydrated. Not liking to see an animal suffer needlessly, the cop somehow got himself a bottle of water and fed it to the cow. Soon it felt better, and eventually, some people were able to take it to a safe place. The cop was thanked for his efforts, and he returned to his beat.


	12. A First and Last Meal

In Lytton, Officer Joe Walters walked into a McDonald's once and found a hungry, almost starving boy inside who couldn't afford any of the food that was available. In spite of being on a police salary, Joe ordered him a full meal of a burger, fries, shake, and a cookie. Then he ordered his own meal and sat down with the boy, showing empathy for his hard life.

About fifteen minutes after he went out on patrol again, Joe was shot and killed in the line of duty by a paranoid traffic violator he pulled over. Joe Walters was buried with police honors, though, and he would always be remembered for that last act of kindness, because the boy told the police force about it after Joe's death.


End file.
